Snowed In!

Since I last posted, we've gotten another 14" of snow! Portland hasn't seen this much snow since 1968, or so they say. We're most definitely snowed in. Not even the garbage collectors or the mail carriers have been by in days!
I've started on my second annual Winter Break Sweater. This year, I chose the February Lady Sweater (Rav link), which bears a striking similarity to last year's sweater. Top down, garter stitch raglan with lace bodice. Maybe I'll branch out in 2009 and try something different. But, because I'm the last person on the planet to cast on for the FLS, I'm just running with it.
Lamb's Pride, because I had a gift certificate and a specific gray in mind. Even though I desperately wanted Malabrigo or Dream in Color, the yarn shop didn't have gray Malabrigo and doesn't carry Dream in Color. So I settled for a wool/mohair blend. I think it will work out just fine.

And, lastly, a momentous occassion.
My very first (successful) pair of socks have finally worn through! They got felted (you lie, Lion Brand!), and I think lasted longer than they would have otherwise. Mike got two years of good, hard use out of them and I think this is a man who deserves another pair of socks.

Maybe even a sweater, now that the curse is broken!

Super Secret Knitting

Attention: If your name is Mike, STOP READING NOW!!

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Is he gone?

I've been working on some super secret knitting for Christmas. Luckily, Mike has been spending nearly 12 hours a day working with the marching band at a local high school for his student teaching, so I've had a lot of time to knit when he's not around.

I wanted to knit him a stocking last year, but just didn't have time. This year, I am much less dedicated to my schoolwork. And, I received a gift of red and green wool yarns, one skein of each. Perfect for a stocking!

The pattern is the Falling Snow Stocking from Jennifer Hoel. I'm making a few modifications: contrast band with Mike's name in white, short row contrast heel in green, and continuing the small snowflakes down the foot. I'm also planning on a contrast, perhaps short row, heel.

Mike finishes marching band this weekend, so I'm knitting my little heart out to get this done!

In Which I Ramble On About Some Things On My Mind

I really apologize for the lack of postings recently. Life is just getting in the way - of both blogging and knitting!

Fortunately, my seminar professor gave me permission to knit in class, and yesterday I was able to complete about four inches of the front of the sweater I'm working on! I love knitting in class- I stay focused on the discussion, and because we don't have to take notes (a huge relief in law school), I get to make productive use of the time!

I don't have a picture to show you because Mike just left with the camera- he's going on a bike ride tonight, which he's very excited about.

I tried knitting socks again out of the Shibui and it is just really not cooperating. I think I might have to give up on the yarn - at least the first few yards. I've now knit it up into the cuff of a sock at least four times, and it has just lost its spring. I am also so frustrated with the pooling! I may have to stop buying Shibui, it's just impossible to knit with and not get ugly pooling (not my socks, but an example of someone else having the same problem with the same yarn).

It just doesn't matter how many stitches you put on the needle, if you alternate skeins, what needle size you use- nothing will stop this yarn from pooling, and it is driving me crazy.

Especially since I have a lot of gift certificate money to use up at Knit/Purl and everything else they stock is ludicrously expensive. Maybe I'll see if my gift certificates contain enough money for a sweater's worth of malabrigo and call it a day.

Except, I've just joined BlueGarter's group, Knit Local, which is a network of knitters striving to knit from yarn produced from local sheep, mills, spinners, and dyers. And Malabrigo, as delicious as it is, comes from Uruguay (I think- somewhere far away, at least). Unfortunately, as it always goes, local yarn is way more expensive than yarn from, say, those online yarn repositories- they're like the CostCo of yarn stores, and I just can't help buying from them because of the price.

Oregon has a great resource in the Oregon Wool Grower's Association, a directory and community of local yarn and fiber producers. I plan on doing some poking around in there and hopefully planning some projects based around that yarn.

Back in the Saddle

I'm knitting again! It's marvelous, just sitting in my chair, listening to the radio or watching a movie, and knitting away.

I'm working on two new projects, having essentially abandoned the Eliza Bennett until I have the patience to work out the sleeve cap shaping.

Up first, a new sweater! From the Interweave Fall 2007 magazine, the Placed Aran Cable (or, if you'd like, a Ravelry link). A lovely Cascade 220 color, deep blue with flecks of green. This should be a fabulous pullover with a great cowl neck. Lots and lots of stockinette (I'm knitting it in the round), and then some fun cables.
And next, a pair of socks, using Grumperina's Helical Stripes technique. Using the ever-pooling Shibui sock yarn in Peacock and some leftover Shibui in Canary yellow. So far, I love them. I forgot to do all the k2tog I meant to when I switched fromthe ribbing (and size 0 needles) to the stockinette (and size 2 needles), so I'm going to rip back all the stripes you see and start over.

We spent most of the day yesterday working on building a compost bin and a chicken run. (By "we" I mean "Mike with about an hour of help from me") Right as we were starting out, we noticed these little guys in the neighbor's tree.

We know you're getting chickens, and we want your eggs!!

Coming Home to Roost

Pooling = bad.

I started work on a pair of Monkeys using some delicious bluegreen Shibui sock yarn. It was nice to be working on a project again, as I hadn't knit a stitch since finishing the Charades (below).

Unfortunately, as you can see, the Shibui + 64 st pattern = hideous pooling death.

I ripped back, adjusted the stitch count, and tried again. Same result. Boo. The socks are currently sitting in time out in my knitting basket, and I'm again casting about for something to knit.

In some exciting house news, we got a chicken coop tonight!

Now all we need are some chickens! We're debating whether we'll get baby chicks (super cute) or older pullets (fresh eggs now!). But whatever chickens we get, they'll have this beautiful home.

Another thing we have is a really cute cat. I hate when bloggers just post photos of their cats, as a regular feature, but I promise I won't do that.

Hello- I make very cute facial expressions!

Let's Play Charades!

One word. Two syllables. Sounds like parades.

Pattern: Charades, from I May Be Knitting a Ranch House.

Cast on: June 17

Finished: July 27

Yarn: Whimzy Pinzy Creations 2 Socks At Once, in Tea Roses. A beautiful combination of pink and lavender, in a wonderfully soft superwash merino.

Needles: Us 2 Addi turbos

Notes: I felt like these took forever, but I think taking a 3 week vacation in the middle of knitting a pair of socks makes it feel like longer.

The Charades pattern is simple, easy, and make a beautiful finished product. I love these socks, and will probably make another Charade at some point, after I get through all the other sock patterns I have on my list!

I finished the first sock while in Europe, and knit the second mostly on the plane on the way home. I forced myself to sit down and work on the other sock last night, and discovered I only really had the toe left! I finished in an hour or so, and did the photo shoot tonight before dinner, in some excellent light.

I love that our mantle makes just about the perfect light box (the first photo was taken there). I'll have to buy some new yarn to take its portrait there!

My bags are packed...

Well, no they're not. But we are leaving on a jet plane in 5 hours. We're off to San Francisco, then Boston, then Dublin, then Paris, Bologna, Siena, Rome, Nice, and back to Paris, Dublin, Boston, Star Island, San Francisco, and finally, home on July 20.

Needless to say, I will not be blogging while I'm gone.

I will however, be knitting!
Charade, in Tea Roses by Whimzy Pimzy Creations, and some Shibui in Dragonfly (I think - I didn't check the label). The Charades should get me through at least one international flight and overnight train ride. Hopefully the Shibui will get me through the rest of our travelling!

Have a wonderful July- I'll see you on the flip side.

Magic Loop 4-Eva!

My knitting has slowed to the speed of molasses in January since finals time and the move. I don't know what's wrong with me- I don't have anything to do after work, so theoretically, I should just sit in my backyard and knit all evening, but I don't.

Since I'm uninspired by the Boot Socks (and my substitute yarn is too cottony and not wooly / acrylicy enough, so I have to find a different yarn with which to finish off the foot of Sock #2) and I can't bring myself to figure out the sleeve-cap shaping on the Elizabeth Bennett cardigan, I cast on for some more socks last night.

Except I had left my Addi circulars at my office, attached to the Boot Socks, so I cast on with dpns. I used to love dpns. I swore by dpns. I scoffed at magic looping.

No more.

Five needles, ten needle tips. No thank you.

It's all magic loop, all the time for me now.

I may have to skip over to the yarn shop on my lunch break - it's one block away and I haven't gone even once yet! How's that for self control? - and use my gift certificate to stock up on Addis. (The G.C. is from helping out with inventory back in March. $40 for four hours of yarn fondling? Yes, please.)

Embossed Leaves- A Surprise FO!

Pattern: Embossed Leaves, from Interweave Knits Favorite Socks
Yarn: Hazel Knits' Artisan Sock in Beachglass
Needles: Begun on my cantakerous Brittany US 2 dpns, finished on some marvelous Addi Turbo Lace circulars. I love me some magic loop.
Time: Just under a month. Begun before spring break in March, finished before finals in April.

Notes: This is a surprise FO, because as I may have mentioned, finals are right around the corner, and I cannot begin to tell you how unprepared I feel. (I'll give you a hint: REALLY unprepared.)

But, Mike was gone this weekend, visiting a high school friend who was in a pretty serious skateboarding accident, so after a long day of studying, I found myself staying up late, watching The Smartest Guys in the Room, and finishing these socks Saturday night.

I spray-blocked them on my feet Sunday, which was probably not the smartest idea, as we were experiencing a cold snap. Not the best time to be sitting around in wet socks.

The pattern was easy to memorize, which I liked. I changed the heel - the pattern is written for a strange stockinette heel with a garter stitch edge. I knit the first heel that way, then discovered it was super baggy. I ripped it out and knit a nice, tight slipped stitch heel, and all was well.

I really love the star-toe. I love how it finishes off each petal of the final pattern repeat. It does make my toes look a little flat / square, but I can live with that. I've heard people have concerns that a star-toe won't be comfortable to walk on, but I have no complaints so far.

My one complaint with the pattern is how large the leaves are. I was expected a smaller lace pattern, I guess. Also, I found it really hard to hold the three purl stitches between each pattern repeat tight. I ended up with some laddering, and some fairly large holes where the pattern called for a k1,yo,p1. I found it easier just to lift the stitch below on the next round instead.

All in all, some lovely socks.

Back to the books.

Star Toe!

I think I'm in love.

The color in this picture is completely off and washed out, because I took it at 9 pm. But look at the beauty of that toe! It's called a "Star Toe." I love how the decreases follow the pattern.

Mom - if you ever knit socks, you should find a pattern with a star toe- it's right up your alley!

Sock progress

I've got two pairs of socks on the needles, both from the book Favorite Socks.

They're not exactly both "on the needles" per se, since I'm using just one circular needle for both socks, but they're both in progress.


I finished the heel flap on the Boot Socks on the plane on the way down to California, then realized I had forgotten to pack another ball of white yarn to finish the foot. Oops!

Luckily, I had packed completely new yarn! Hazel Knits Artisan Sock yarn in "Beachglass." Perfect for vacay in sunny CA.

I'm doing the "Embossed Leaves" socks, and really enjoying it. The pattern just flies by. When I actually work on them, which hasn't really been happening since break ended.

There's also a Hazel Knits knitalong going for these socks, which is a joy. I've never done a knitalong before! It's fun to see other people's yarn choices and hear feed back on the pattern.

We're all in agreement that the heel as written is pretty baggy and not very good. As written, it's a plain stockinette flap with a garter stitch edge. I knit the whole thing, then ripped back and reknit it in a slipped stitch heel with fewer stitches. It looks like it will fit better now, and be stronger.

FO: Hexacomb Cardigan

Pattern: Hexacomb Cardigan, from Interweave Spring '08
Yarn: RYC Cashsoft, in grey and blue.
Needles: Clover US 6 circular
Size: 35" (M)
Cast On: February 16
Last end sewn in and button sewn on: March 21



Notes: The pattern is great and well-written. When blocking, the sweater looked like it would fit a seven year old, and I bet it would. However, it fits this 24 year old, and I"m going to wear it.

I wore it from the moment I sewed on the final button, and approximately every other day while on spring break.

I only button the top two buttons, as the model in the magazine does, because the fabric is stretchy and the button band bulges and gapes with all the buttons done up.

The bad parts of the sweater are entirely my own fault: different dyelots in the top of the back and one sleeve. I keep pointing it out to people, but I'm sure no one would notice if I didn't. I am also likely the world's worst stitch-picker-upper, resulting in some holes along the neckline and uneven edging. However, I count this among the three wearable sweaters I have made, each with their own quirks.

I also cast on for a pair of Embossed Leaves, in my Hazel Knits yarn in Beachglass. The leaves are a lot bigger than I expected, and the heel in the pattern just seems lazy. I may rip it out and go with a tried and true (and less baggy-saggy) heel instead.
Coming back from spring break (and break itself, spent in the old stomping grounds of Berkeley) makes me detest school all the more. I long for a life of sun, restlessness, walks in the hills and flowers, baking, and time spent knitting, chatting, and giggling with my dearest friends.

Fresh Like Springtime

Whew! What a month! I don't know what happened in February, exactly, but I seem to have been too busy to post. I haven't been knitting much, but I have been writing my Appellate Brief (a big, semester long paper, that culminates in Oral Arguments in April!), getting a job for the summer, and trying to get funding for that job. Plus, you know, those other four classes I'm taking.

Last night I found myself with a free Friday night- no plans, no pressing schoolwork, nada. So, of course, I made cupcakes and spent three hours knitting on the couch!

I got a gorgeous new cupcake cookbook in the mail from Mike's wonderful mom, and made her basic cupcake recipe, using some frosting that had been languishing in the fridge.

These make me feel like springtime!

Also making me feel like springtime (aside from the gorgeous sun and 60* days we've been having!) is the Hexacomb Cardigan. Due to my lack of knitting time / pure laziness last month, I'm only just now splitting to work on the shoulders. It's a neat pattern, but I'm running into some trouble on the neck shaping - there are 37 stitches, but 8 stitches in the pattern... I'm sure it will work out, but is something I couldn't visualize while watching "Six Feet Under."

Boot Sock & Hexacomb

I also finished one of the Uptown Boot Socks. It will be interesting to see how these come out. I started using stash yarn, two hanks of it. I thought they were the same fiber content, but one is definitively woolier than the other. Then, I went through one and a half of my little balls for the first sock. What to do?

Well, last weekend Mike and I went to a romantic B&B, north of Mt Hood (two years together!). I had noticed a small yarn shop when we were walking the downtown for dinner one night, so the next night we went into town early and made a stop at the yarn shop, Knot Another Hat. I had my sock with me and the woman working helped me look around and find a matching yarn. I got some undyed Licorice Twist, which looks pretty close. The first sock is quite softer (more cotton? more acrylic?) than the second sock, but I don't mind.

I had meant to finish these socks up for an auction tonight to raise money for summer stipends for law clerks (see above, looking for funding for my job), but I didn't feel right about donating socks made out of mismatched yarn. Also, I only have one sock done and the auction is in 3 hours. (See above, no time to knit last month.)

Hopefully, I'm back and will have more regular posts and knitting updates!

Brightening your day, one mug sweater at a time.

Remember my friend Claudia? The one whose blog I told you to go read if you wanted witty anecdotes? The one for whom I made a mug sweater, to replace those silly cardboard sleeves you can put around your paper coffee cup so you don't burn your fingers?

Well, said wit and said mug sweater have combined for a touching and witty tale involving a university co-op, morning coffee, and an impressed unimpressibly hip co-op worker. Hie thyself to her blog to read the story, then come back here, refreshed and awed by the greatness that are university co-ops, for some knitting content.

I've picked up some stash yarn out of my rather large, inherited, acrylic stash and started some socks! I figured, while I'm waiting for the bulky wool to dry (seriously! It's been over a week. Portland is just that wet), and since I bought that book of sock patterns, I should make one.

I don't have enough of the white to make a whole sock, so I'm doing a blue cuff and perhaps toe, and a white body of the sock.

They're both some sort of acrylic mix - I know, I did the burn test! I think the white is cotton / acrylic and the blue is wool / acrylic. They're the same weight, t hough, and it's stash knitting, so I'm happy.

It's the Uptown Bootsock (Ravelry) from Interweave Favorite Socks.

I also gave into a serious yarn craving last night. I've been trolling the Destashing forum on Ravelry, and got a hankering for some bright pink sock yarn for Valentine's Day. Didn't find any on Ravelry, but got a tip that an online yarn shop (Sonny and Shear- too cute!) had a 20% discount. They also happened to have the perfect shade of pink. And also a gorgeous aquamarine I couldn't pass up. Scratching a yarn itch feels so good.

2007's Final FO

The mystery socks I've been working on since October! I got the first one done in November, then didn't even cast on for the second until finals ended Dec. 20. Mom arrived Christmas Eve, and I had the socks done, boxed, and wrapped Dec. 23.

Pattern: Tessellating Lace Socks (Ravelry link), from Knitting the Light Fantastic
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM in 456 (2 skeins)
Needles: Clover Bamboo US 0's


Notes: Love the yarn! Love the pattern! I'd never worked with Koigu before and it was fantastic. Lots of sproing, which is perfect for socks, and beautiful colors. I found the yarn during a Sunday afternoon of coffee & knitting back in the fall, and it was the perfect blend of colors for my mom. I attempted Monkeys with it at first, but there was some major pooling and the pattern was a little too ambitious for my law-filled brain.


I started the leg in the large size of the pattern, since it's not a very stretchy pattern, then decreased to the medium size for another leg repeat and the foot. (I decreased by skipping the yo's in one row of the pattern.) The yarn pooled the same as it had for the Monkeys in the large section, but then settled nicely into a beautiful variegation for the medium sized parts. Luckily the pooling happened in a visually pleasing spiral, and there isn't a dramatic change to the variegation.

Mom loves them too.

Chill Friday night

There are very few things in life I perfer to an evening of Scrabble and knitting.

The socks are a Christmas present for my little brother. (I hope he's not another closet reader of my blog.) He works winters on ski patrol in northern Vermont, so these are some comfy alpaca socks for him to slip into when he gets from work and his feet need a break from big chunky wool ski socks.

Mike tried them and and says they're comfy. But my little bro has feet two sizes bigger than Mike, so I just have to hope I made the toes long enough!

The Scrabble game was great. I was beating Mike, which doesn't happen often, until the kitten jumped up on the board and scattered tiles everywhere.

Blueberries for Me

Ta-da! Start to finish in just six days, the Rainy Day Socks! Shown here with a bowl of blueberries, picked straight from the farm last weekend. First, let's talk socks.

Pattern: Rainy Days from MagKnits
Yarn: Patons Astra in Teal, colorway 2945 (it's 100% acrylic- a leftover from a sweater coat I made when I first took up knitting and didn't know anything about fiber)
Needles: Brittany US 2 (2.75 mm) dpn

Notes: These went quickly, and I didn't get too bored with the pattern. I think I actually beat the second sock blues by finishing these so fast. My kitchener is really improving; The only part I have to perfect is the edges of the seam. I get lumps on either end of my seam, but if you smoosh them into the sock, they pretty much go away.

I started the heel flap in a different place on the second sock, and had to make some adjustments when I finished the gusset and started the pattern stitches again, but I think it all worked out. The pattern flows nicely down the leg and onto the foot. I thought I was a strong short row heel enthusiast, but these gussets look great- and there's no wrapping of stitches involved!

How, let's talk baking. Like I said, we went to a farm this weekend and picked, among other things, blueberries. Lots of blueberries. Several pounds of blueberries.


When we got home on Saturday, I made a pie, and today I made blueberry-corn muffins. The pie was really easy- even the crust was easy! The New Best Recipe book has a really great crust recipe and a great technique for rolling out the dough. They also have an illustrated, step by step guide to making the lattice top.

The corn muffins were also from the New Best Recipes book (can you tell it's my favorite) and I just added frozen blueberries as I mixed the batter. I think they should be a little sweeter to make them a good blueberry muffin, but they're great as corn muffins.



I know the pictures are sort of backwards, but the pie is just so much prettier!

Rain Drops Keep Fallin On My Head

In a record 3 days, I started and finished a sock! I'm quite proud of this, especially since a good friend was in town for the past few days, and we spent much of our time drinking delicious local beers and making delicious, elaborate feasts. There was Moose Drool, two pizzas, a large skilletful of egg scramble, and an immense pot of deliciously creamy and cheesy macaroni and cheese.

However, amidst all this gluttony, there was also the playing of board games. I like to knit while playing Scrabble, because otherwise I get sleepy and bored while it's not my turn. Not playing against Mike was helpful, and I finally was able to win (he usually beats the pants off me)! I also played a Bingo (all 7 letters) for the first time in a long while (again, usually the provenance of Mike). I'm so proud of this, the only photo from my friend's visit is of our Scrabble board.


We're going to a law school summer orientation activity today- a trip to a local farm for u-pick produce! Including blueberries, which I am quite excited about. We haven't finished all the blackberries we picked last week, but I do love me some blueberry pie. And how cool is my law school that we go to a local farm for orientation! At some other school, I bet they go to a local securities firm.

I'll leave you with a close(r) up photo of the stitch pattern from the Rainy Day socks. I love the way the straight ribbing and the wavy rib play off each other. Until we can afford a new camera, I can only dream of getting close-ups like those available elsewhere, but I can try.

Mornings Are Looking Up

Lookie what I got! Mike's Mom found me an espresso machine! It's probably the greatest present ever, especially given that I had forgot she was looking for one! (She had already given me a french press, so I certainly wasn't expecting anything else.) This is going to make getting up early - or being woken up by the traffic on I-5 or the major bridge right next to our house - and biking to school much easier!

I tried it out today, and it made for pretty much the greatest morning ever. Knitting, a soy latte, the sunshine, NPR... what more can a girl ask for?


The sock is Rainy Days from MagKnits, and I'm using some acrylic sport weight I had in my stash. They're for a friend's birthday, in about two and a half weeks. she lives in Austin, TX, but my empty wallet wins out over her hot climate, so thick and toasty socks are what she gets! She's not planning on living in Texas forever: in fact, her heart belongs to Maine. I think these will get some use out of them!

Day Off Perfection

I finished the Chevron / Jaywalker Socks! I absolutely LOVE them, and love how perfectly matched I got the stripes. (I pulled from the second ball of yarn until I had it at the same starting point in the dye). I don't think I can bear to give them up. Kitty loves them too.

Pattern: My own, using the Chevron-Feather stitch
Yarn: Cascade Superwash Sassy Stripes fingering weight in colorway 707 (I like to call it "Juicy Fruit")
Needles: Clover Takumi Bamboo US 0s (2mm) dpns
Started: June 9, 2007
Finished: July 7, 2007
Notes: I made up this pattern, finding my own feather-and-fan Chevron stitch online and using it in a pair of top-down socks. Then, I realized I was knitting Jaywalkers. With a little more lace. These were so easy, but I am thrilled to be done with working on needles the size of matchsticks.

I also found time today (amid my busy schedule of This American Life listening and air conditioning absorbing) to bake brownies! We got a big bunch of mint on my birthday from my friend's organic farm, and I turned it into brownies! With the help of some flour, sugar, baking chocolate, and magic, of course.


I also found time to cast on a cupcake for a dear friend's birthday.